There are many church denominations, each identified by a common faith, name and administrative structure. These denominations form for a variety of reasons, and many different factors become contributors in their formation.
Some denominations form around a common culture. The church in North America, as an example, has an altogether different cultural environment than the church in Africa, Asia or other locations. While New-Testament doctrine is static and doesn’t change, the application of that doctrine is influenced by many factors, including culture. Churches located in differing cultures are extremely limited as to how unified they can be in expected practices cross-culturally. Generally, those denominations striving for a greater standardization among their churches find it more challenging to do so when cultural differences exist, and this contributes to the number of denominations existent globally.
Within any given culture, though, there are various other conditions that contribute to denominationalism. Some individuals and churches have a greater degree of devotion to the hard sayings of Jesus, while others do not; and this causes different denominations to form. Sometimes denominations form because of personal conflict or other reasons marred by human imperfections. There are many causes as to why denominations exist, and certainly not all of them are defensible from a biblical perspective. The clear teaching of Scripture is that God’s people are to be united, but the Bible also gives significant emphasis to warnings against deception and participation in apostasy.
We can lament the denominational fractures within Christianity, and in some cases we should. However, we should also realize that God often uses these fractures for His glory. In some cases, these circumstances cause His people to migrate to new locations, taking the gospel with them. This can provide a godly influence in the communities to which they move and may be a means of actually spreading Christ’s kingdom on earth.
So while division is painful and sometimes caused by carnality, it often does contribute to God’s greater purpose. That purpose is that everyone would hear the gospel message preached to them and that everyone would see what a biblical church really is. At some future time, the gathered hosts of heaven, when the redeemed arrive in that place, will consist of Jesus’ disciples assembled from every nation, tribe, people and tongue. There the Lord Jesus will reign as King of kings, and there will be perfect harmony in that glorious realm. Separation and division will be no more, and a unified church in its perfection will be the experience. Lord, hasten on that glorious day!